The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-25

Wni might a1tect her SONG. You
know they used to think so much of each
| other"
''Maasy, father! That was years and
years ago, when they wcr, children.
'Lizabeth's too sensible Il girl to let Il
Teller like Will Marston to disturb her.
When he stopped writing to her she gave
him up. She's worked hard to-day,
and n good nights rest will bring her
round"
There seemed nothing more to he said,
so he took Il light and proceeded to make
everything safe for the night, but long
after his good wife was asleep he lay
awake thinking of the pale face his
daughter had lifted for the good night
kiss.
Elizabeth was not likely to get the
strength her mother thought from a
nights rest. Until the first rays Of
morning lighted up the cast, she lay
thinking OF the old days and living them
over again. She could not remember
the time when she and Will had not
seemed to belong to each other.
When they were children he had
drawn her to and from school on his
sled, saved her the largest half of his
apple or orange, aud fought all her bat
ties with n vigor worthy of an oldcn
knight. When the years in their flight
made them no longer children, 1t was
always Will who, at the close of meeting
or singing school, drew her arm through
his with an air of proprictorship and
started for the Allen farm. After his
mothers death he had not chosen his
associates wisely, but in spite of scorn
and opposition, without DISC
bedicn &C, she had chung to him and
trusted.
Then came the affair at the village.
One dark night a party Of roughs had
broken into Squire Pcaslcy's barn, tied
together the legs Of all his hens, nailed
up Whitcfoot's stall, and then climbing
the roof of the ell had placed u board
soaked in salt water over the chimney.
The old gentleman, who lived alone, was
obliged to travel on Il slippery ground
to the nearest ncighbor for help. The
villagers were justly indignant, and for
furnishing the miscrcants, but no clcw TO
them could be found.
will was away from home that night,
and suspicion rested OH him rs one of the
party until he could bcarit no longer and
decided to go away.
1t seemed but ycstcrday-their parting
in the old trysting place.
Will had slipped the tiny gold band
he wore upon her tinger-it seemed but
a thread of gold ~now-asking her to
wear it until he came back.
For" said he, "l'll never come back
till / can offer you a name and Il home.
Somehow the devil has had possession
Of mo lately, but bad as I am, I would
scorn to do what they accurc me Of
torture Il feeble old man. While YOU
believe and trust me, there are plenty
who do not" And with Il last Good
bye, my Beth" he was gone.
When the first letter clmc addressed
to Miss Beth Allen, in WHIPS round, boy
ish hand. Mr.. Allen frowncd and his
wife scoldcd, but when she was for
stopping the correspondence ut once, he
said:
"Thcrc, there, mother, let the girl
write to him if she wants to; she won't
do him any harm, and l can trust her
for a true Allen not to go far out of
the way"
So the matter had dropped, and for
five years 'Lizabeth's letters were received
without comment; then they ceased sud-
denly and unexpectedly. For months
Elizabeth watched the mails with anxious
face. Mrs. Allen shook her head with
an 81 told you he didn't amount to any
thing" whe never there was no one but
her husband to hear, and Mr.. Allen wait
ed in silence.
Time does much toward healing such
wounds, and five years had made it
seem more like an unpleasant dream than
a reality, when the news Of Wlll's return
came, awakening memories Of other
days:
For oncc Mr.. Allen was wcathcrwisc.
The snow had fallen through the night,
covering the earth rs with q mantle, the
fcathcry flakes continued to come lazily
down until just before ~ O'Clock, then
there was q rift in the western sky, and
when the old yellow sleigh stood ut